RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Men's Basketball team lost a narrow game by a score of 55-53 against UW-Stevens Point, who entered the week ranked No. 18 in this week's D3hoops.com top-25 poll.

The Falcons shot 40% from the field and held a 37-30 advantage in rebounding, but ultimately the team's late comeback attempt fell just short. The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 7-8 overall and 1-3 in WIAC play.

The game started off with both teams knotted at 2-2 up through roughly the 15-minute mark. Both teams later exchanged 5-0 runs, as the first half proved to be a tightly-contested 20 minutes of game action. The Pointers took their largest lead of the half with 42 seconds remaining, as a three-pointer by Darrius Bolden put the Falcons down 32-24 heading into the break at halftime. The Falcons converted on four of their 10 three-point attempts and shot 9-28 (32.14%) in the first half.

In the second half, UW-Stevens Point looked to pull away by building its lead to upwards of 14 points (42-28) at the 14:13 mark. UWRF bounced back with a 7-0 run, as Zac Johnson nailed a three-pointer with 11:59 remaining to trim the deficit to 42-37.

With under five minutes to go, UWRF kept the game within two possessions through the final whistle. Jack Leifker hit a jumper with 2:41 remaining and followed up with one free-throw made on the following Falcons possession, cutting the Pointers' advantage to 55-53 with 2:10 to go. Despite several back-and-forth possessions and a three-point attempt at the buzzer, the 55-53 scoreline would ultimately stand through the final buzzer, giving UWRF its second one-possession loss in the last three games.

The Falcons shot 11-22 (50%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from three-point range in the second half, which helped the team climb back into contention. UWRF totaled 20 points in the paint, 10 points off turnovers, and 26 bench points.

Leifker led the way with 11 points, while Johnson and Regan Merritt scored eight and Drew Adams add seven. Adams and Gavin Ralph led the team with six rebounds each, and Merritt totaled three steals, a career-best.

Next up, the Falcons are set to host No. 1 UW-Platteville at Page Arena on Jan. 18. Tip-off against the Pioneers is slated for 5 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online here.